Journal lubricator



J. J. HENNESSY JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Nova 7, 1939.

Filed Sept. 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 7, W39.

J. .1. HENNESSY 2,178.754

JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Filed Sept. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VE/VTOE Q2/7766 flefinessy i3 14 g/vi Patented Nov. 7, 1939 AE i i FEE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricators for application particularly to railway vehicle journals and arranged to utilize the relative lateral play of the journal and journal box in operating the lubricator.

A lubricator of the above type is usually provided with a pump located in the journal box or cellar for delivering lubricant to the journal, the pump piston contact rod or actuator constantly engaging either the wheel hub face or the end of the journal whereby the entire movement of the journal is transmitted to the pump. With the use of this type of lubricator, variations in the extent as well as the rate of lateral play of the journal affect the quantity of lubricant delivered to the journal. Consequently, when the lubricator is adjusted to supply sufiicient lubricant to the journal under adverse operating conditions, as when the track is straight and smooth and the vehicle is moving slowly, the device will deliver an excess of lubricant under conditions more favorable to such operation.

Various devices have been suggested for limiting the excess lubricant supplied to the journal under the more favorable conditions, such, for instance, as by-pass arrangements similar to that shown in Patent No. 1,794,457, issued in the name of the present inventor, and frictional bushings have been applied to the pump actuators which limit the extent of movement of the same as described and illustrated in Patent No. 1,704,743, also issuedin the name of the present inventor. These devices serve the above purpose fairly satisfactorily but require more or less complicated modification of the pump device and are difiicult to repair and adjust.

An object of the present invention is to provide a journal lubricator operable by means of lateral play of the journal and including means 49 substantially simpler than in the devices above mentioned for delivering uniform quantities of lubricant irrespective of variation in the lateral play of the journal.

Another object is to provide a limited-delivery lubricator of the above type which may be readily applied to vehicle journals already in service.

These objects and others hereafter appearing are attained substantially by the provision of a 50 lubricant delivering device within the journal box or cellar and having a vertically reciprocating actuator which is intermittently engaged and vertically oscillated by lateral play of an offset ring on the journal.

55' In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a vertical section through a journal lubricator illustrating the journal and wheel hub.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but il- 5 lustrating a modification.

Figures 4 and 5 are detail side views of journals showing modifications of the pump actuating ring thereon.

Figures 6 and 7 are respectively a side View and 10 an end view of a portion of an axle and lubricator illustrating another modification of the invention.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a locomotive driver axle 2 having a journal 2a carrying a bearing 15 brass 3 adjacent the driver hub 4. A driving box cellar l is applied to the journal and is enlarged downwardly at 5 to form a lubricant reservoir. Within the reservoir is located a pump body 6 including a pump cylinder 1. 20

Slidably mounted in the pump cylinder 1 and vertically reciprocable therein is the piston plunger l5 which projects substantially above the cylinder l and has a collar l6 between which and the top of the cylinder is a coil spring 25 ll urging the piston upwardly towards the journal. A split collar l9, having a peripheral rib 2b, is rigidly secured to the driving axle 2, immediately inwardly of the journal Ed, by means of the bolts l8 extending through lugs lBa. Where 30 the device is applied to an outside journal, the collar may be formed as one piece, the end portion only being split to permit contraction about the journal.

The end 2! of piston i5 is disposed to be en- 35 gaged intermittently by rib 20 during the lateral play of the axle, to depress the piston l5 against spring I'l, causing the pumping of lubricant to the journal. The lateral play of the journal ordinarily will be at least of an inch 40 and the rib 28 preferably, but not necessarily, is of such width and shape that the end of the piston will constantly engage the same. Preferably the sides of peripheral rib 20 will be gradually inclined and the end of the piston somewhat rounded to produce smooth operation of the piston.

A delivery chamber 8 communicates with the tubular elbow 9 which rests on the floor of the cellar and connects with the cup ll) seated against the journal. Lubricant is drawn into the pump cylinder through a passage ll, having a ball check l2, and is forced into the delivery chamber through a passage 13 past a ball check i i. A ball check Hla. prevents lubricant delivered to the cup Ifl from draining back into the elbow 9.

In Figure 3, the pump piston 22 is actuated indirectly from the collar 23 by means of a lever 24 engaging the peripheral rib 25. Lever 2 is pivoted at 26 to an arm 27 projecting from the pump body 28. The length of the lever and also the relative position of the collar 23 and the size of lobe 29 may be varied to obtain the desired extent of reciprocation of the piston 22. The spring 30 constantly maintains the piston 22 in engagement with the lever 24 and the lobe 29 in engagement with the collar 23.

In Figure 4, a reduced portion 3| of the journal 32, or a reduced portion of the axle adjacent the journal, is provided with a peripheral rib 33 which may be turned or welded thereon. The rib 33 actuates the piston 34 in the same manner as the rib 25 in the first form operates the piston I5.

In Figure 5, the journal 35 is shown provided with a peripheral groove 36. The contact element 3'! of the pump piston 38 is constantly urged against the surface of the journal by spring 39 and during lateral play of the journal is caused to reciprocate vertically by intermittent engagement with the groove 36.

In Figures 6 and 7 the actuating element 40 on the journal 4! and the actuated bell crank 42 are located beyond the end of the reservoir 43, and a contact rod 44 extends through the end wall of the reservoir and reciprocates axially upon its mounting to thrust the pump piston 45 inwardly. The spring #6 thrusts piston 45, connection 4'11 and contact rod 44 outwardly when bell crank 422 permits such movement.

It may be advantageous to have the axle rib 4!) and the mechanism immediately engaged thereby located beyond the end of the box, and to have the pump piston operating horizontally, all as illustrated in this arrangement. The oil will be fed to the journal through a suitable conduit (not shown), corresponding to that indicated in Figure 1.

The quantity of lubricant delivered by any of the devices described herein is not dependent upon the speed of the vehicle except in so far as this affects the rapidity of lateral reciprocation of the journal. Excessive extent of lateral play of the journal due to worn parts has little or no efiect upon the quantity of oil delivered by the pump. The device is simple and sturdy and can be readily ap lied to and removed from railway axle bearing boxes.

The details of the pump shown are not important and the invention may be applied advantageously to other types of lubricators which do not utilize a pump. Such a pump is shown in Patent No. 1,906,589, issued May 2, 1933, to the present inventor, in which an absorbent pad is caused to alternately dip into oil in the reservoir and then contact the journal, the motion of the pad being effected by reciprocation of an actuator which engages the wheel hub face. Where a pump is used, the amount of lubricant delivered to the journal may be varied readily by adjustment of the pump itself either as to the length of stroke or as to the size of the delivery passages. These and other modifications may be made in the embodiments illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. In combination, a railway vehicle journal and a lubricant reservoir therefor, said journal in operation reciprocating axially to move relatively to said reservoir, a pump for feeding lubricant from said reservoir to said journal and including a piston, the periphery of said journal being provided with an element the reciprocal movement of which with the journal actuates said piston a constant distance irrespective of the extent of reciprocation of said journal beyond a predetermined minimum.

2. In combination, a vehicle journal with an offset in its periphery extending transversely of the journal axis, and a lubricant pump with a piston operating element positioned adjacent said offset and movable transversely of said axis, said offset being movable axially of the journal relative to said pump and said element being located between the limits of movement of said offset and disposed to be engaged thereby to actuate said pump.

3. In combination, a railway vehicle journal, a bearing and a journal box mounted thereon, a peripheral ring on said journal and within said box, and lubricating mechanism including a pump and an element adjacent said ring movable transversely of the journal axis to operate said pump, said journal having lateral play in said box during normal movement of the vehicle and said ring actuating said element by said lateral play.

4. In combination, a railway vehicle axle including a journal portion and an annular offset adjacent the same, and lubricating mechanism including a pump with a piston plunger disposed at an angle to said axle and terminating adjacent the same, said axle having crosswise play relative to said mechanism during normal operation of the Vehicle and said offset being disposed to engage said plunger to operate said pump.

5. In combination, a railway vehicle axle including a journal portion and an annular offset element adjacent the same, and a lubricant pump including a piston and a piston actuating element adjacent said offset element and movable transversely of the axis, said axle having axial movement relative to said means during normal operation of the vehicle, one of said elements having a surface inclined to the axis of said axle and disposed to directly engage the other element during axial movement of said axle to operate said piston by cam action.

6. Lubricating mechanism for a railway vehicle journal comprising a collar for application around the journal and having a peripheral 01?- set, and a pump adapted to be mounted adjacent the journal and including a piston actuating plunger to be directly engaged by said ofiset dur ing the axial movement of the journal to operate said pump.

'7. Structure as defined in claim 6 in which a spring is provided for urging said plunger against the collar in position to be intermittently depressed during the crosswise oscillation of said offset.

8. In combination, a vehicle journal having a peripheral offset, a lever pivoted adjacent said journal, and lubricating mechanism includingan operating element adjacent said lever, said journal having axial play during normal operation of the vehicle and said ofiset being disposed to engage said lever during said play to move the same transversely of the journal to actuate said operating element.

9. In combination, a vehicle journal having a peripheral groove, and journal lubricating mechanism including a pump, a pump actuator movable transversely of said. journal and means urging said actuator against said journal, said groove being disposed to engage said actuator during lateral play of the journal and with said means to efiect operative reciprocation of said actuator.

18. In combination, a railway vehicle journal, a lubricant reservoir adjacent thereto, a device for supplying lubricant from said reservoir to said journal, and means for actuating said device, including mechanism mounted in said reservoir and a radially extending peripheral element on said journal positioned between the planes of the upright Walls of said reservoir and moving axially with said journal relative to said reservoir and mechanism and thereby engaging a part of said mechanism and moving it transversely of a journal to pump lubricant from said reservoir to said journal.

1. In combination, a railway vehicle journal, a lubricant reservoir adjacent thereto, a device for supplying lubricant from said reservoir to said journal including a pump in said reservoir, a pump actuator extending through an upright wall of said reservoir, and. a radially extending peripheral element on said journal positioned outwardly from said wall and operatively engaging said actuator to move it transversely of said journal as said journal moves axially relative to said reservoir.

12. In combination, a railway vehicle journal, a lubricant reservoir adjacent thereto and having an upright wall, a device for supplying lubricant from said reservoir to said journal, means for actuating said device including a radially extending peripheral rib on said journal and an element engaged by the outer face of said rib to be moved transversely of said journal, said device and means being located on opposite sides of said reservoir wall.

13. In combination, a vehicle journal including a peripheral element, a lubricant pump adjacent said journal and including an operating element, said journal being movable axially relative to said means, during normal operation of the vehicle, and said peripheral element engaging said pump operating element to move the latter transversely of said journal axis to actuate said pump, and a conduit for conveying lubricant from said pump to said journal.

JAS. J. I-IENNESSY. 

